Fire fighters, police take to the field for good cause

KELLOGG — Have you ever wanted to witness our local emergency servicemen and women square off on the baseball diamond?

Have you never thought about it before, but the previous sentence now has you intrigued?

In either case, it happening Sunday at noon and you can check it out while supporting a noble cause.

The first annual Guns Vs. Hoses charity softball event held on Teeters Field will pit the Silver Valley’s finest and bravest against each other for the glory of bragging rights and to raise money for one of their own.

Silver Valley native, Dylan Browning, 20, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt Lymphoma recently after he had abdominal pain and went in for appendix surgery.

According to the Lymphoma Association, this aggressive high-grade type of cancer begins in B-Cells (immune cells) and is usually linked to a previous infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

In Dylan’s case, the disease is relegated to his abdominal lymph nods.

Terrie Browning, Dylan’s mother, explains that this specific type of cancer is one of the most aggressive there is, but fortunately, it is also one of the most responsive to chemotherapy treatment.

Dylan is on track to do eight total treatments every two weeks (6 days in-patient, 2 days out-patient) at Kootenai Cancer Center in Coeur d’Alene and he has completed five so far.

He is also getting daily check-ups at Shoshone Medical Center in Kellogg.

Before his diagnosis, Dylan had already found several ways to serve his community for being so young.

Always keeping active and healthy, Terrie says that Dylan participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track/field while he attended Wallace High School.

The day he turned 18, Dylan decided to follow in the footstep of his late father and become a fire fighter by joining Shoshone County Fire District No.1 (SCFD1) in Osburn as a volunteer.

His father, who passed away when he was 9, served as a fire fighter/ EMT in Oregon.

Immediately following high school graduation in 2015, Dylan joined up with the Idaho Department of Lands (IDl) in Cataldo and served as a wildland fire fighter for the summer.

The 2015 fire season is known as being one of the worst in recent memory with large fires cropping up all over the region.

Dylan then went back to SCFD1 after his summer stint with IDL.

Right before his diagnosis, Dylan interviewed for, and was accepted as, one of the new jailers at the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

In fact, he learned of his condition on the first day of orientation for his new job.

Terrie explained that Dylan’s drive for community service and his dream to be both a fire fighter and a police officer is what motivated him to apply for the jailer position.

Sheriff Mike Gunderson has assured Dylan that, when he is able to come back, his job will be waiting for him.

In addition to this charity game, a spaghetti feed/ auction and blood drive were held on Aug. 10 and 11, respectively, to help raise money for Dylan’s medical costs.

Lisa Millard, Osburn City Clerk and event organizer, reports that the event at the Wallace Elks raised a significant amount of money.

“Through a spaghetti feed and auction...we raised over $22,000 for a young man battling cancer and his loving family!”

The blood drive, held in front of the fire house in Osburn, was also incredibly successful.

Rob Balison, Inland Northwest Blood Center Territory manager, was pleasantly surprised with the turnout and that it was a testament to our community.

“The Blood Drive at Shoshone County Fire District One was just amazing. We had over 51 people come to show their support for Dylan Browning! From start to finish, we had people lined up just waiting to do their part...The support system in your community is like no other and the people of the Silver Valley really showed it. There was not one minute of downtime during the Blood Drive, it was nonstop from the second we opened the doors until we ran out of supplies!!”

With the large amount of support that has been shown already, the charity softball game will be just another reason to show that those in the Silver Valley can truly come together in a time of need.

Aaron Cagle, SCFD1 Fire Chief, said that he and the department “are all so overwhelmed by the great support from our community even in these tough economic times.”

Regarding the game, he added that “while Guns and Hoses has been traditionally some friendly competition between responders, we are proud to make it an annual fundraiser that will bring needed support for a local cause.”

Currently, Dylan is undergoing more tests to see if further action is needed, but Terrie assures those who are concerned that he is in good spirits.

“His attitude is good,” she said, “he is looking forward to coming back and being a productive member of the community.”

For all of the support that has flowed in since her son’s diagnosis, Terrie sent out a heart felt post on Facebook.

“Our family is so thankful, blessed and extremely overwhelmed by the community members, family and friends that showed their love and support towards our family. It is hard to find the words to say because nothing seems to be enough. We are Thankful, Grateful and Blessed by each and everyone of you. We will pay it forward in the future and continue this fight against cancer. Dylan is a fighter and will overcome this to give back to the community that has always supported him and has helped to make him the person he is today, a wonderful strong young man who loves his family and community.”

Even though this game will be another great event to support Dylan, Terrie says that she is also excited to simply see the game and watch the teams have some fun.

The event will include three teams playing three games.

Teams will be comprised of law enforcement, local fire departments, and IDL personnel- each represent a organization that Dylan has been apart of in some way.

Jeremy Groves, SCSO Captain, explains that the games “will have a designated umpire to assure all normal league rules are followed (until someone makes a donation to buy the umpire off, which will be accepted and go into the donation boot).”

BBQ hamburgers, hotdogs, and other food will be for sale in addition to a limited supply of T-shirts that are available for purchase until gone.

All of the proceeds from the event will go to Dylan.